TITLE:
Love is Soft and Heavy: Exploring the Concept of Love from a Sensory Perspective
AUTHORS:
Yifan Liao
KEYWORDS:
Love, Metaphor, Softness, Weight
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.13 No.2,
February
14,
2026
ABSTRACT: Love is a mysterious concept. From the perspective of conceptual metaphor theory, the concrete experience of our bodies may contribute to the formation of the concept of love. The present research investigated the relation between perceptions of softness and weight and the concept of love. Study 1 was conducted at night and found that love was perceived as soft and heavy. Study 2 and Study 3 were conducted to contrast different wordings of love. Results showed that, in the morning, different wordings of love (love, romantic love, love between men and women) and opposite-sex friend’s love were perceived as soft. In the evening, females believed that love was softer than opposite-sex friend’s love; males’ perception of love and opposite-sex friend’s love were similar in terms of softness. The weight perception of love displayed changes from morning to evening. Possible explanations were discussed.